Cutting apparatus



NOV. 1967 J. A. MELANDER 3,350,968

CUTTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 51, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORZ JACK A.MELANDER ATTYS FIGIS.

N 1957 J. A. MELANDER CUTTING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed Oct. 51,1963 INVENTORZ MELANDER JACK A.

ATTYS.

J. A. MELANDER CUTTING APPARATUS Nov. 7, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledOct. 31, 1963 ATTYS,

INVENTORI JACK A. MELANDER WW ilg N V- 7, 1957 J. A. MELANDER 3,350,968

CUTTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 51, 1963 4 sheets-sheet 4 mam/215i" 13INIVENTORZ BY JACK A. MELANDER WWW ATTYS- United States Patent ()fi ice3,350,968 Patented Nov. 7, 1967 3,350,968 CUTTWG APPARATUS Jack A.Melander, Ballston Spa, N.Y., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments,to Baldwin-Ehret-Hill, Inc., Trenton, N.J., a corporation ofPennsylvania Filed Oct. 31, 1963, Ser. No. 320,490 3 Claims. (Cl. 83-1)This invention relates to cutting apparatus, particularly to cuttingapparatus employing a taut wire cutting instrument which is adapted tocut irregular shapes according to a pattern or templet, and has for anobject the provision of improvements in this art. The device provided isadapted for gang cutting operations and the embodiment illustrated is ofthe gang cutting type in which a plurality of taut wire band saws cut aplurality of articles simultaneously to the same pattern shape.

The invention provides supporting means for holding the material orworkpiece to be cut so that it may be readily manipulated by hand.Specifically, the material supporting means includes a cradle mounted ona set of parallel arms which provide movement in one direction, withauxiliary mounting means carried by the parallel arms providing movementin a second direction, whereby the material has full freedom of movementin any direction in a plane. More specifically, the auxiliary mountingmeans comprises another set of parallel arms mounted on the first set sothat all movements are made through pivoted, and preferably ball bearingjoints, for smoother and more precisely controlled action.counterbalance means are also provided for accommodating dead weight andthe shifting weight of the material being cut.

One use of the apparatus is to cut long shaped forms, such as pipecoverings or ornamental shapes, from a block of hardened foam urethane,a very light material which is well adapted to be carried on a cradlehaving free movements in a plane. Such material is used for theillustrative example discussed herein; and the particular pattern formillustrated is a stylized Christmas tree. Naturally, other blocks ofmaterial could be cut; and the number of pattern or templet forms islimitless. It will, of course, always be an aim to lay out patternswhich make the most economical use possible of the block of material orworkpiece provided to be cut.

The objects of the invention as well as various features ofnovelty andadvantages will be apparent from the following description of anexemplary embodiment, reference benig made to the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a machine embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear side elevation;

FIG. 3 is a front end elevation taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section through the cradle and relatedparts, taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1, showing a block of materialclamped in position and, in broken lines, indicating the forms orarticles to be cut;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the parts in a differentposition when the forms or articles have been partly cut out;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial elevational view taken on the line 6-6 ofFIG. 1, showing the guide templet and form tracer or templet follower;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial section taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6;FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial vertical section taken on the line 88 ofFIG. 3; I FIG. 9 is a vertical section taken on the line 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic vertical side view showing the articlesupporting mechanism when the article is in an intermediate horizontalposition;

FIG. 11 is a view like FIG. 10 but showing the cradle and articleshifted rearwardly;

FIG. 12 is a view like FIG. 10 but showing thecradle and article shiftedforwardly;

FIG. 13 is a greatly enlarged side view, partly in section, of a portionof the length of one of the wire band saws;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of one of the forms or articles which hasbeen cut out and indicating by broken lines how it may be slicedtransversely to form a plurality of identical ornamental articles;

FIG. 15 is. a view like a portion of FIG. 6, showing a templet having agroove for guiding the tracer pin;

FIG. 16 is a vertical section taken on the line 16 -16 of FIG. 15.

The machine comprises a frame 20 having base members 21 supporting acutter or saw assembly and vertical members 22 supporting workpieceholding and shifting means. As shown in FIG. 4, the workpiece W ormaterial to be cut is a block or slab of hardened urethane or otherplastic or, indeed, any other material which can be cut.

A holder or cradle 23 supports the workpiece for movement in anydirection in a vertical longitudinal plane. The cradle includes a base24, vertical end members 25 and 26,-and a top hold-down cover 27. Theworkpiece rests on the flanges of transverse channel members 28 withinwhich the upper spans 29 of band saws 30 are positioned in the normallower mid-horizontal position of the cradle. Means are provided, as willbe be seen, to prevent the cradle from being moved laterally while belowa given elevation, whereby to prevent the saws from engaging any part ofthe channel members 28. Also means are provided for limiting horizontalcradle movement at all times so one saw cannot enter the zone of actionof an adjacent saw; in fact, some space is always maintained betweenadjacent zones so that the slab maintains its original outlines as ashell even after all parts have been cut out.

The cover 27 is arranged to accommodate for some variations in thicknessof slabs and to avoid applying crushing pressure on the slab. To thisend it is provided with a loose hinge mounting comprising, at each side,a pin 31 in a slot 32; and at each side a .holddown spring 33 isprovided. At the free end of the cover a clamp screw 34 and a keeperelement of the end member 26 with a slot 35 are provided for holdingdown the cover in adjusted positions.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the band saws 30 run over spaced groovedpulleys 36 and 37, the pulleys 36 being at the rear side and carried inpairs on shafts 38 turnable in fixed bearing supports 39; and thepulleys 37 being at the front and mounted for individual adjustment,each on a stub shaft 40. FIGS. 8 and 9 show how the shafts 40 aremounted in slide blocks 41 adjustable by screws 42 and held by clampplates 43 and clamp screws 44 in adjusted position on fixed base mounts45. It will be understood that the wire band saws must be kept quitetaut to avoid bowing of the active upper span during cuting; otherwisestraight line cuts will not be made.

The drive shafts 38 are each provided with a pulley 46 driven by a belt47 from a pulley 48 on a main drive shaft 49. The main drive shaft 49has a pulley 50 which is driven through a pluralband belt 51 by thepulley 52 of the shaft of a motor M.

Dust created by the saws is picked up and removed by a suction manifold53 and an ofi'take suction pipe 54.

The cradle support includes one set of parallel arms 55, 56 mounted onbase pivot pins 57 carried by one of the vertical frame members 22, theouter ends of the arms being connected by pivot pins 58 to a commonplate 59.

T'heplate members 59 carry supporting means which provides horizontalmovement of the cradle, the means here shown comprising another set ofparallel arms 60, 61 which are supported on the plates 59 by pivot pins58 (lower), 62 and which support the base 24 of the cradle by pivot pins63.

Suitable rigidifying transverse bracing is provided between the sets ofparallel arms and the parallel connecting plates to hold all partsagainst twisting in order that true cuts may be made, the means hereshown comprising channel members welded on, such as 65, 66, 67, etc., asmany being used as needed.

Means are provided for balancing the workpiece supporting means and fortaking into account the shifting horizontal positions of the workpieceand cradle. As

shown, a primary or static adjustable balance weight 68 is threaded on agenerally horizontal screw rod 69 secured to a cross bar 70 connected tothe rearwardly projecting end extensions 56a of the lower arms 56 of thefirst or horizontal set of parallel arms. The weight 68 can be locked inadjusted positions on the rod 69 by nuts 71.

A secondary or dynamic balance weight 72 is threaded on a generallyvertical screw rod 73 secured to a box-like transverse hollow beamstructure 74 connected to the arm extensions 56a by pivot pins 75. Avertical bar or arm '76 is secured to the beam structure at itsmid-length and extends downward for a distance equal to the length ofthe vertical parallel arms 60, 61.

A weight shifting connecting rod 78 is connected at its rear end to thelower end of arm 76 by a pivot pin 79 and is connected at its front endto a bracket 80 secured to the transverse beam 65 by a pivot pin 81. Thepin 81 has its axis aligned with the axis of the lower rear pivot pins63 so that the connecting rod 78 is parallel with the arm 56 and itsrear extension 56a.

The arms 60 and 76 are parallel so that a parallelogram is thus formedwith pivots 75, 79, 80 and 58 (lower) at the corners. The secondaryweight 72, of course, partly balances the load carrying mechanismstatically but its weight is so chosen and the relative values andadjustments of the two weights are so chosen that the movement of thesecondary weight 72 practically balances the horizontal movements of thecradle and its load; while adjustments of the position of the primaryweight 68 largely compensate for differences in weight of differentworkpieces which are loaded on the cradle.

By the described arrangement the shifting of the cradle and workpiece ismade with little effort and there is little change in the amount ofeffort required at different locations of the cradle and workpiece. Thisis very important in the procedure of feeding the workpiece by a patternor templet, next to be described.

FIG. 4, as stated, shows in broken lines, the outlines of the forms tobe cut in the workpiece slab by the wire band saws. A templet 83 forforming this design is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. It is shown as beingsecured in a frame 84, as by screws 85, and the frame 84 is secured in afixed position on the main frame, as on horizontal bars 86, 87 attachedto the vertical members 22 by any suitable means. The templet isinverted and reversed relative to the articles cut because the saw cutopposite to the direction in which the workpiece is moved.

The templet or patten 83 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is of the outsideperiphery guiding type and is adapted to be followed by a tracing pin 88carried on a rod 89 secured to the upper end of a guide arm 90 which, atits lower end, is rigidly secured, as by a fitting 91, to the base 24 ofthe cradle. A handle 92 is secured to the outer end of the rod 89. Therod is threaded and may be adjusted in and out and locked in desiredposition, as by locknuts 93, to place the end of the tracing pin inproper position relative to the templet.

The templet alone would not confine the tracing pin (and the saw rangein the slab) to proper bounds, so, for an outside guide type of templetan auxiliary border confining templet 94 is provided for limiting theouter range of movement of the tracing pin. A notch 95 is provided atthe top of the border templet to allow the cradle to rise until the topspans of the saws are in the top spaces of the transverse channelmembers 28. The notch 95 is of such depth that the saws cannot engageany part of the channel members.

For greater assurance, the workpiece supporting mechanism may beprovided with suitable stops to keep the saws within their proper fieldof action, but these stops have not been illustrated herein since anyskilled mechanic could secure them in proper locations by moving thesupport to various limiting positions while the saws are idle andinstalling the stops for these limiting positions.

Although a matter of duplication, in case the pin 88 and auxiliaryborder templet are considered too light for full assurance againstinterference and the arm stops are not provided, a heavier pin could besecured to the arm at another location and a heavier border confiningtemplet secured to the main frame to confine it. This would in no wayhinder the action of the tracing pin 88 in following the main templet83.

In operation, after a workpiece or slab of material is clamped in thecradle, the operator grasps the handle 92 and brings the tracing pin 88down out of the notch and against the upper end of the templet 83. Fig.6 shows the path of movement of the tracing pin around the templet,while FIG. 5 shows a part of the path cut by each saw as controlled bythe movement of the pin along the periphery of the templet. The cradleor holder is brought back to bottom position with the saws positioned inthe channels after each sawing operation.

FIGS. 10-12 show how the weights balance the work load statically anddynamically as the cradle and workpiece locations are shifted, the viewsparticularly showing the dynamic balancing action wherein the weight 72acts at longer or shorter effective fulcrum arm lengths correspondinglyas the cradle acts at longer or shorter effective fulcrum arm lengths.This results from the reversal of movement directions through thecompensating parallelogram 75, 79, 80, 58 (lower) described above.

FIG. 14 shows in perspective the long form which is cut out, and thebroken lines show how this long article may be cut transversely to formas many small items of identical shape as desired, the number of itemsdepending on the thickness of cut.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show a modified templet 83' which has inner and outerelements providing a groove 96 between the mfor a tracer pin (notshown). The field limiting border templet is not needed in this case butif such a duplicate field limiting means as described is present, itwill not interfere with the action of the pin with the form templetsince all movements along the form templet must necessarily be withinthe limiting field of action.

It is thus seen that the invention provides simple, accurate and easilyoperated means for cutting forms by wire cutting devices. The sawstrands of the machine described run horizontally but the organizationand relationship of parts are such that other oriented dispositionscould be used.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been described forpurposes of illustration it is to be understood that there may bevarious embodiments and modifications Within the general scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. Cutting apparatus comprising, in combination, a plurality of bandcutting members each having an upper cutting strand spaced apartlaterally, a workpiece holder for supporting a workpiece having upperand lower workpiece holding elements located above and below said uppercutting strands, swing support means for said holder providing verticaland horizontal movement of said workpiece holder relative to said uppercutting strands, templet means having a peripheral outline defining apredetermined pattern, a follower carried by said workpiece holderadapted to be guided along the peripheral outline of said templet meansthereby to cause the cutting strands to engage the workpiece in adjacentcutting zones to form therein a design conforming to the peripheraloutline of said templet means, and limit means in the form of a memberhaving an inner edge spaced from and of a different configuration thansaid peripheral outline of said templet means operable to confinemovement of said follower to thereby prevent a cutting strand in onecutting zone from entering a cutting zone of an adjacent cutting strand.

2. Cutting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said limit meansmember is of rectangular form surround- 6 ing said templet for limitingthe outer range of movement of said holder.

3. Cutting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said follower is atracing pin and including a notch in the inner edge of said limit meansmember to receive said tracing pin when the cutting apparatus is not inuse.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 895,944 8/1908 Bernard 83-4132,774,131 12/1956 Crane 83-410 2,918,835 12/1959 Watson et a1. 834133,068,913 12/1962 Hawkins l43-26 3,199,686 8/1965 Wasserman 83--4133,254,684 6/1966 Hawkins 144-144 ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner.

1. CUTTING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PLURALITY OF BANDCUTTING MEMBERS EACH HAVING AN UPPER CUTTING STRAND SPACED APARTLATERALLY, A WORKPIECE HOLDER FOR SUPPORTING A WORKPIECE HAVING UPPERAND LOWER WORKPIECE HOLDING ELEMENTS LOCATED ABOVE AND BELOW SAID UPPERCUTTING STRANDS, SWING SUPPORT MEANS FOR SAID HOLDER PROVIDING VERTICALAND HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID WORKPIECE HOLDER RELATIVE TO SAID UPPERCUTTING STRANDS, TEMPLET MEANS HAVING A PERIPHERAL OUTLINE DEFINING APREDETERMINED PATTERN, A FOLLOWER CARRIED BY SAID WORKPIECE HOLDERADAPTED TO BE GUIDED ALONG THE PERIPHERAL OUTLINE OF SAID TEMPLET MEANSTHEREBY TO CAUSE THE CUTTING STRANDS TO ENGAGE THE WORKPIECE IN ADJACENTCUTTING ZONES TO FORM THEREIN A DESIGN CONFORMING TO THE PERIPHERALOUTLINE OF SAID TEMPLET MEANS, AND LIMIT MEANS IN THE FORM OF A MEMBERHAVING AN INNER EDGE SPACED FROM AND OF A DIFFERENT CONFIGURATION THANSAID PERIPHERAL OUTLINE OF SAID TEMPLET MEANS OPERABLE TO CONFINEDMOVEMENT OF SAID FOLLOWER TO THEREBY PREVENT A CUTTING STRAND IN ONECUTTING ZONE FROM ENTERING A CUTTING ZONE OF AN ADJACENT CUTTING STRAND.